Finance

FW: COVID-related expenses and requests for supplies, personnel

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Hello everyone,

Just sharing an important reminder to follow the attached guidance regarding the coding of expenses associated with COVID-19.

Thank you,
Alicia

PDF: Coding Expenses Associated with Coronavirus_3.17.2020[1]

Dear Colleagues,

As part of our efforts to coordinate operational and financial aspects of the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am writing to ask that you share guidance with managers and supervisors in your units with respect to the following ongoing matters:

  1. Now that Federal and State emergency measures have been invoked through several executive orders, it may be possible for UConn to receive financial relief for some of the expenses it has incurred in response to the virus and its effects. We do not yet know with any precision what sorts of reimbursements we may be eligible for, but we do know that the only way we can make a case for them is if we are fastidious in our tracking and documentation of these expenses. It is very important that departments keep careful records of all unanticipated expenses. These may include additional equipment and supply purchases, additional staffing needs, and any other spending that has arisen in response to the pandemic. Please see the attached guidelines for coding expenses related to COVID-19.
  2. If any unit receives requests for supplies, equipment, or staffing to fill needs associated with the pandemic, either from another UConn unit or from any external body (including the State of Connecticut), these requests should be communicated directly to the Office of Emergency Management, oem@uconn.edu, with a copy to our office, provost@uconn.edu.  All institutional responses to such requests are being managed and tracked centrally.

Thank you for your assistance in these matters. Wishing you continued health in these challenging times.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey

________________________________________

Jeffrey S. Shoulson

Vice Provost for Academic Operations

Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and Professor of English

University of Connecticut

352 Mansfield Road, Unit 1086

Storrs, CT 06268-1086

 

Coding of Coronavirus Expenses in Concur, Husky Buy and KFS

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Coding of Coronavirus Expenses in Concur, Husky Buy and KFS

Over the next several weeks UConn will be incurring unusual expenses attributable to Coronavirus. It is important that departments add additional identifiers to Travel, e-docs, Requisitions, and Purchase Orders for these expenses directly associated with the prevention of COVID-19. Some of the types of expenses that we would consider to be unusual:

  1. Non-refundable Travel Costs because of Coronavirus
  2. Purchasing of equipment to work remotely (Computers, cables, iPads, etc.)
  3. Purchase of office and research supplies as a result of Coronavirus
  4. Purchase of additional cleaning materials to clean offices, bathrooms, doors, etc.
  5. Additional services needed from UConn vendors for facility services and housekeeping

This list is not all inclusive and ask yourself if the expense you are incurring is a normal expense or because of the current situation with Coronavirus.

Please follow these instructions when coding your expenses:

CONCUR:

In Concur, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

Husky Buy:

In Husky Buy, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

Kuali Financial Systems:

In KFS, add the following identifier COVID19 to this field:

For items purchased and already posted to KFS:

If you have already purchased an item or service related to COVID-19 and it has posted to KFS, please complete an IAA (Intra-Account Adjustment) edoc to update the Project field.

Need additional help? We are here to help you:

Kuali Financial Systems – KFS
Lori-Anne Hansen – Associate Controller
Lori-anne.hansen@uconn.edu

Husky Buy
Nancy Patrylak – Procurement Manager
Nancy.patrylak@uconn.edu

Concur – Travel
Dan Warren – Director
Daniel.warren@uconn.edu

Source Link: https://uconn.edu/public-notification/coronavirus/covid-19-human-resources/#HR-2020-03-14-a

March Reminders and Tips from AR (From Daily Digest)

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Do you/your department invoice for goods and/or services?  If so, The Accounts Receivable (AR) in the Bursar’s Office is offering assistance and trainings!

Trainings are currently available for:

  • Invoicing (including UConn Health)
  • Credit memos
  • Creating customers
  • Collecting on past-due accounts

Quick tip: Did you know that invoices are not automatically sent to customers?  Each department is responsible for sending their customers their own invoices.  One upside to departmental billing is that it allows departments to build contact lists and keep close relationships with their customer.  Customers with a direct UConn relationship more frequently pay on time, too!

For more information, email accountsreceivable@uconn.edu or call 860-486-5995 (6-5995 on campus).

For more information, contact: Accounts Receivable at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu

 

Source Link: http://dailydigest.uconn.edu/publicEmailSingleStoryView.php?id=151652&cid=24&iid=4482

WebFOCUS Standard Report Update (From KFDM Listserv)

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On behalf of the Office of Budget and Planning,

WebFOCUS Standard Report Update

Summary
In an effort to enhance and consolidate university financial reporting, we have made some updates to the General Ledger Reports in the Standard Reports domain in WebFOCUS.  Two new reports will be published and old reports will be moved to a folder called “Archived Reports”.  These reports will still be available for use but will no longer be updated or supported.  In addition to these major changes, a few minor updates to the remaining reports will follow (as noted below). This effort will reduce the number of reports from 17 down to 7, once complete. We hope that you find these updates useful and we ask that you please let us know if you run into any issues.

Enhancements

  • Consistency in what is included and how
  • Improved naming to make it clear as to what data is delivered
  • Limit the number of reports by increasing their efficiency
  • Better customization by adding more prompt options and increasing the number of fields in excel versions.

Updated Report List

Report Enhancements Report it Replaced
Budget to Actuals New– Combined 6 reports into 1 Account Balances, Account Balances by object Code, Account Balances Summary, Statement of Activity –(Budget to Actuals, Budget to Actuals by Account, Budget to Actuals with Prior Year)
Summary of Actuals by Fund Source New– Combined 2 reports into 1 Statement of Activity – (Statement, Summary)
Account Information Combined with Accounts by Organization Accounts by Organization
Account Transactions Made minor updates to excel output to include more fields None
Budget Balances by Account Will be combined with Budget Balances by Object None
Budget Balances by Object Will be combined with Budget Balances by Account None
Carry Forward Report Minor enhancements coming soon None
Fund Balance Report Minor enhancements coming soon None

In addition to the reports that are being replaced, reports that are either not widely used or no longer useful due to system and process changes will also be moved to the Archived Reports folder.

Archived Reports

Reports Report It Was Replaced By
Account Balances Budget to Actuals
Account Balances by Object Code Budget to Actuals
Account Balances Summary Budget to Actuals
Accounts by Organization Account Information
Base Budget vs. Committed Salaries None
One to Many Fund Balances None
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals by Account Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Budget to Actuals with Prior Year Budget to Actuals
Statement of Activity Summary Summary of Actuals by Fund Source
Statement of Activity Statement Summary of Actuals by Fund Source

If you have any questions regarding the report changes, please contact your assigned Budget Analyst.

From: KFDM, Kuali Financial Data Mart <KFDM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Hodgkins, Stephen
Sent: Thursday, February 6, 2020 10:27 AM
To: KFDM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: WebFOCUS Standard Report Changes

February Reminders and Tips from AR (From Daily Digest)

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Do you/your department invoice for goods and/or services?  If so, The Accounts Receivable (AR) in the Bursar’s Office is offering assistance and trainings!

Our office handles all non-student receivables: monitoring invoices, payments, and customers in KFS; sending accounts to third party collection agencies and for DAS tax offset; conducting AR KFS trainings; creating invoices in CORE for other State of CT agencies; facilitating invoices with UConn Health; and so much more.

Trainings are currently available for:

  • Invoicing (including UConn Health)
  • Credit memos
  • Creating customers
  • Collecting on past-due accounts

For more information, contact Dan Lis, (Accounts Receivable Supervisor) and Angela Piela (Administrative Services Specialist 2) at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu, or call 860-486-5995 (6-5995 on campus).

For more information, contact: Accounts Receivable at accountsreceivable@uconn.edu

 

Source link: http://dailydigest.uconn.edu/publicEmailSingleStoryView.php?id=149107&cid=24&iid=4420

Budget Construction Workbook – Due Jan 31st

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As discussed in the Admin Meeting on Thursday, December 19th – Budget Construction will be managed slightly different this year.   Budget Construction Excel Workbook that was mentioned in the meeting which will be used to facilitate this year’s FY21 Budget Construction.  The goal is to make the process more collaborative and make it as easy as possible for everyone as well as provide input into the FY20 Provost Budget Hearing process.

Please email the completed worksheet to CAHNRBO@uconn.edu no later than Friday, January 31st at 4:00PM.  If you do not wish to complete the worksheet and would like the Business Office to manage the Budget Construction process for your unit, please let us know and will use a trend analysis to fill in the worksheet

If you have any questions , please email CAHNRBO@uconn.edu.

 

Updated Fringe Benefit Rates (From Univ Research Adm Forum Listserv)

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Dear Colleagues,

As announced by the President, new FY20 fringe rates (as a result of funding applied by UConn) have been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services although we do not yet have an updated signed rate agreement. The rates for FY20 and for proposal budgeting on the Office of the Vice President for Research Sponsored Program Services (SPS) website will be updated soon in accordance with this announcement. The Pre-Award Team will accept the old fringe rates on budgets that have already been submitted to SPS, all future budgets should use the new rates. If you would like to update a budget for a proposal that has already been submitted to Pre-Award but not yet submitted to the sponsor, please contact your Grant and Contract Specialist.

Additionally, please note that the required budget justification language regarding fringe benefits has been updated to the following:

“The fringe benefit rates used in the proposal budget are based on the rates approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. An estimated cost escalation has been included in the out years per University budgeting guidance.”

 

FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
Faculty 43.0% 45.0% 46.0% 47.0% 48.0%
Professional/Classified 43.0% 48.1% 49.0% 50.0% 51.0%
Special Payroll 19.5% 21.9% 22.5% 23% 23.5%
Post Docs 15.5% 15.8% 16.3% 16.8% 17.3%
Graduate Assistant, Academic Yr 15.5% 15.8% 16.3% 16.8% 17.3%
Student Labor 2.4% 2.6% 3.0% 3.0% 3.0%

 

FY22 – FY25 rates shown are projected estimates for budgeting purposes only.

FY25 rates should remain flat for FY25 and later for budgeting purposes only.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 My proposal has already been submitted, will my project get to use these rates if funded?

Yes, in accordance with our standard process, the actual rate charged to your award will always be in accordance with the actual federally approved rate in place at the time of the charge, even if this varies from what was included in your proposal.

 

My proposal is due today and I don’t have time to update the budget, what does this mean?

If your proposal has already been submitted to SPS, you are not required to update your budget. If funded, you still receive the benefit of the FY21 rates (see previous response).

 

Will my current award be able to use the new rates?

Yes, your project will automatically use the FY21 rates.

 

My current award ends before July 1, 2020, will I get to use these rates?

No, the new rates are effective July 1, 2020 and only salary transactions that occur during FY21 will utilize the rates announced by the President.

 

Laura B. Kozma

Executive Director, Sponsored Program Services and Faculty Services

 

Office of the Vice President for Research

Sponsored Program Services

438 Whitney Road Extension

Unit 1133

STORRS, CT 06269

PHONE 860.486.3798

ovpr.uconn.edu

 

From: University Research Administrators Forum <UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Kozma, Laura
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2019 10:57 AM
To: UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCRESADM-L] Updated Fringe Benefit Rates

SPS Closure (12/24) (From Univ Research Adm Forum Listserv)

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Sponsored Program Services will be closed for regular business on Tuesday, December 24th and all business on Wednesday, December 25th. Please send all items with a hard deadline of 12/25 or earlier to SPS no later than Wednesday, December 18th, SPS will review and submit these items by close of business on Monday, December 23rd. If you become aware of other urgent deadlines after Wednesday (12/18), please inform your relevant contact at SPS immediately. If you require assistance on Tuesday, December 24th for something due on that day (12/24), please route your request to the appropriate email address to get emergency contact information during standard business hours:

Faculty Services: facultyservices@uconn.edu

SPS Pre-Award: preaward@uconn.edu

Contract Services: spscontracts@uconn.edu

Post-Award: sps@uconn.edu

Cash: spsfinance@uconn.edu

Subawards: subawards@uconn.edu

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Laura B. Kozma

Executive Director, Sponsored Program Services and Faculty Services

 

From: University Research Administrators Forum <UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Kozma, Laura
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2019 5:00 PM
To: UCRESADM-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
Subject: [UCRESADM-L] SPS Closure (12/24)

Upcoming System Changes – Position Numbers (From KFS Listserv)

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Sent on behalf of the Office of Budget & Planning:

Upcoming System Changes – Position Numbers

As the University prepares to transition to a new recruitment and onboarding system through PageUp People, there is an important business process change that will occur: UConn assigned position numbers will no longer be used or tracked.

Note: The classified employee population (protective service, maintenance, social service and clerical unions) will continue to retain CORE position numbers generated from the State system, as always.

The change will be visible in a few different systems:

Recruiting – PageUp

  • You will no longer need to choose a position number to begin the recruiting process.
  • More detail on the recruiting system process will be available in training, open labs, etc.  Please refer to the Daily Digest for additional information on the Page Up transition or contact Human Resources at workforce@uconn.edu.

Financial – KFS

  • All payroll expenditure and encumbrance files that feed into KFS will have the employee number value in the position number field (similar to the process in KFS prior to FY2016).
  • This change takes effect during Pay Period Ending 11/21/19. Encumbrance updates will occur the week of 11/25 and the first payroll expense will hit the week of 12/2.
  • For this Fiscal Year only, due to the timing of the transition, the KFS Account Status (Current Funds) inquiry screen will display the YTD actual pay split by position number (pre-transition) and employee number (post-transition).

Budget Construction

  • No vacancies will be loaded into Budget Construction. As always, users may add new vacancies manually with “TBA” placeholder positions. For refills, users can budget the refilled salary on the incumbent employee’s line.

KFDM

  • There is no change to the .pdf and .html versions of the Filled Position Detail and Summary reports as they did not contain position number.  The position number field will be removed from the excel version of the reports but it will remain as a field in the data star.
  • We recommend running any self-created detailed payroll reports by employee number.

      If you have any further questions regarding the change within KFS, please contact your assigned budget analyst.

       

      From: Kuali Financial System <KFS-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU> On Behalf Of Pavone, Annette
      Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2019 3:52 PM
      To: KFS-L@LISTSERV.UCONN.EDU
      Subject: Upcoming System Changes – Position Numbers

      Cash Handling Training Sign Up Form

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      Message from the Bursar’s Office:

      From: Bursar – Cash Operations
      Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2019 11:29 AM
      Subject: 2019 Annual Cash Handling Training – ACTION REQUIRED

       

      Good Morning,

      You have been identified as a Fiscal Officer in a department that submitted an Advance Deposit and/or Cash Receipt eDoc during fiscal year 2019, or you responded to this request last year.  Annual Cash Handling Training is required for any University staff involved in receiving, recording, depositing, and/or reconciling cash or check payments.

      On the attached spreadsheet, please indicate all staff and students involved in your department’s cash/check handling process so they can be enrolled in this year’s training.  The training is all within HuskyCT and consists of a PowerPoint followed by a brief quiz.  Staff will receive an email notification once the training is available, by mid-November.

      Please complete and return the attached spreadsheet, in Excel format, to cashoperations@uconn.edu by November 1, 2019.  If you are not the appropriate person to complete this for your area, please forward along accordingly.

      Feel free to contact us with any questions.

      Thank you,

      Alyse

       

       

      Alyse Lofman-Kwapien  |  Cash Operations

      Financial Services Manager
      University of Connecticut | Office of the Bursar
      233 Glenbrook Road Unit 4100 Storrs, CT  06269
      Office: 860.486.6826 | Fax: 860.486.3307